[1] The river discharges have decreased continuously during the last half century in the Yellow River, the second-largest river basin in China. In particular, a drying up of the main river along the lower reach has occurred since 1972, and the situation has become more and more serious during the 1990s. Using 50 years of meteorological data from 108 stations together with a collection of irrigation data, the long-term changes in the river discharge have been investigated with a view to identifying the reason for the drying up of the Yellow River. It was found that the annual precipitation generally decreased (À45.3 mm/50 yr) while the air temperature generally increased (+1.28°C/50 yr). From the 1960s to the 1970s the precipitation decreased by 29.6 mm/10 yr, the evaporation increased by 7 mm/10 yr (for pan evaporation), and the irrigation water usage increased by 10.5 mm/10 yr. As a consequence the drying up of the Yellow River has occurred since 1972. Irrigation was developed continuously in the 1980s, but the drying-up situation maintained at the same level as during the 1970s. The reason for this was the increase in precipitation (by 10.3 mm/10 yr) and the sharp decrease in the evaporation (by 133 mm/10 yr for pan evaporation). During the 1990s the irrigation was maintained at a level similar to that during the 1980s, but the drying-up situation was greatly aggravated. The reason for this was found to be a result of the decrease in precipitation (by 38.2 mm/10 yr) and the increase in evaporation (by 52 mm/10 yr for pan evaporation).

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Objective: Recent studies have shown that generation of reactive oxidants during arsenic metabolism can play an important role in arsenic-induced injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between arsenic in drinking water and oxidative stress in humans by measuring 8-Hydroxy-2 0 -deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in an arsenic-affected village in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia, China. A total of 134 of the 143 inhabitants (93.7%) of the village participated in the study. The levels of 8-OHdG, arsenic and its metabolites were measured in urine collected from the participants. Regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between arsenic species and 8-OHdG levels in urine. Results: In the polluted village, monomethylarsenic was significantly higher in subjects with arsenic dermatosis than those without dermatosis despite no difference in mean levels of arsenic in well water between both types of subject. For subjects with arsenic dermatosis, arsenic species and metabolites in urine are significantly associated with 8-OHdG, while there was no statistically significant relationship for subjects without arsenic dermatosis. For all residents of the polluted village, the levels of dimethylarsenic and 8-OHdG were significantly higher for those who had been exposed to well water for more than 12 years. Conclusions: These results provide evidence of a link between exposure to arsenic from drinking water and oxidative stress, which may play an important role in arsenic-involved injuries.

Tests on erosion of the cohesive sediments in the Chikugo estuary in Japan were conducted. The results indicate that the decrease in the rate of erosion at constant shear stresses is caused rapidly 20 to 30 minutes after the start of tests and that tue decrease is caused by the increase in the solid fraction and the yield value of the seaiment remaining uneroded due to shear stress. In order to simulate the erosion process of sediments, a model in which the increase in the yield value of sediment is assumed to be proportional to the integration value of the absolute value of the sediment velocity gradient with respect to time was developed. The simulation based on this model is shown to be available to estimate the amount of sediments eroded in the erosional process of cohesive sediments.

Energy loss at manholes is of importance in the design of storm sewer networks and in flood-analysis. Some researchers have already investigated the energy loss at three-way manholes under surcharged conditions. However, formulation to calculate the energy loss at manholes, including all variables of structural elements of the pipes and of the manhole has not yet been accomplished. Therefore, more study to formulate the energy loss at three-way drop manholes is needed. In this study, the ratio of the diameter between inflow pipes and an outflow pipe, the ratio of flow rates between those pipes, water depth in a manhole and the drop gaps between those pipes are considered and the energy loss at three-way circular drop manholes is examined. Finally, a modified formula, more accurate than that in the U.S. Federal Highway Administration's 2001 Urban Drainage Design Manual is proposed. The proposed formula takes the influence of the ratio of the diameter between inflow pipes and outflow pipe and drop gaps between those pipes into consideration. The calculated energy loss coefficients in both straight-through and lateral pipes successfully reproduce the measured values.